The Sound of Winter

October has been eventful.

In Kentucky, it's Breeder's Cup and Auction season. The yearlings have gone to sale and the last major championship for the signature industry

After a week's vacation, I'm back at home and going full steam with prepping in for 2012, plus finishing up a series of projects and planning out things for '12.  Between that and hearing about the weather up north and East, I feel exceptionally lucky that snow hasn't come our way yet.

I'm excited to be back with Sinari under saddle. She has been going like her hair has been on fire. She's slowly coming into fitness again, but the work with her has been more than productive. She gives 110 percent every time out now, and has actually become very hot in the work.

With the time off she lost a lot of endurance, while she gives it all, she can't maintain beyond short spurts. I don't think the winter coat is helping either. She'll be clipped out sooner than later, and the fitness is returning slowly.

Sincere has also been going well, he's doing his first 30 days. I've been roughly to four of the sessions, and I'm really happy with how he's coming along. He's an eager student, easy to get along with and willing to work. I seriously can't wait until he's four and going full gear. In the meantime, I'm really enjoying seeing him accept the work.

Baby Love (SHN v. DAD)

It's a bonus show weekend, two championship shows going off at the same time in two different places.

The East Coast tradition, Dressage at Devon, where every breeder hopes to end up and Sport Horse Nationals, where every Sport Horse person with an Arabian wants to as well.

I unfortunately happen to on both sides of the fence.

One of my goals this year with Sincere was to make it to AHA's Sport Horse Nationals. I felt his quality at the start of the year wasn't going to be up to the Dixon Oval (boy was I wrong). Plus SHN, is, after all in our backyard. Easy decision right? Hauling distance versus not hauling, hotel versus my own bed, roses over rosette. Not.

Unfortunately, timing and cash flow didn't work out for SHN. 

On doing the entire entry for one (!) class, was over $500, including stabling, memberships I would have to have and a few other requirements. This, for a single in hand class, for a two year old.  What made the class attractive in 2010 and not 2011? Cash payout, which they abolished this year.  For two minutes in the arena, it's roughly $4.16 a minute, no payback.

Normally, I don't complain about show costs. I'm used to filling out entries for myself and several other competitors and seeing the tabs that are racked up in the name of pursuing blues.

However, I really couldn't justify this cost when I sat down and ran the numbers against Devon, who has the largest breed show in America attached to it and also no payout. Cost: $350 for three classes, which included stabling ($1.94 a minute if you really want to do the math) and the registration cost for USDF for Sincere to compete. My memberships to USEF and USDF already allow me in, and the best young horses on the East Coast are there.

So the future choice becomes: Garland of Roses or Dixon Blue?  

Don't get me wrong, I love both shows.

A placing at Devon would mean serious street credit for Sincere. It would mean a lot in other departments as well.  I've always wanted to show Devon.

A placing at SHN would mean street credit in the breed for the boy as well, but there's something that would be sour about placing there, especially after I saw the classes run and scored.

I believe AHA has taken a huge step and risk in bringing the show to Kentucky on a permanent basis. I believe that they are trying to revitalize an industry that has been a victim of their own success, in a way that allows regular people to compete their horses in a national championship venue in disciplines that naturally promote and award good, ethical training practices.

The joy of the SHN show is that the in-hand classes are huge and the quality is bell-curved.

You have everyone showing young horses all the way through mature stallions. Everyone gets a spin on the triangle. Where most breed shows are drying up, this one boasts serious numbers (43 for half arabian geldings alone). Their definition of how an amateur can handle horses is open; but unlike open shows, the classes aren't strictly run to the morays of Dressage Sport Horse Breeding or Hunter Breeding. The show is a hybrid between an open dressage, hunter, carriage show and an Arabian show.

That's where the sour feeling comes in.

While it's great that the class numbers are big, and that an amateur can handle a non-relation owned horse, there are bigger problems.

The breeding classes are mashed together, so it's a mixed bag of movers and judges (hunter judges place hunters and dressage judges place dressage), there's also a score for "arabian type" which I don't believe has any bearing on what would make a good sport horse. You're not allowed a whip handler, and you're not allowed to make a double pass either.

Most of this is tolerable, but there is one bothersome point: is that there is no end result to the process.

Where normal in hand shows are just for young horses (6 and under with the occasional appearance by a mature stallion), AHA is producing the next halter industry, and ignoring the creation of a pipeline from in hand to a performance career. They are ignoring the point of why breeding classes exist not as permanent places to show, but as a way to identify, develop and award talent and breeding programs that produce it.



So, while I'm still interested in showing at SHN in future under saddle classes, for the 99 percent of the time that Sincere will be competing, it will be in the regular world, against every other horse, where I know his placings and wins aren't tempered with the statement: 'just the best of the breed', but rather just the best.

Fortunate son

The more I play with Sincere the happier he is.

He becomes intensely jealous of Sinari whenever she goes out and works and seems to skulk about the idea of a day without getting attention.

So with that, I started throwing more variety at him. In the normal addition of going in and out of the barn, eating and sleeping, he now has a minor job description.

He wears a sursingle (no side reins), a saddle pad, wears an in-hand bridle with his chifney, goes for long walks, knows his vocals pretty well, and is being worked more frequently on the triangle. No two days are the same, and the sessions maybe last 10 minutes.

He has no trouble doing any of these things, in fact none of the routine bothers him and he doesn't mind obliging to the requests, where the other two year olds in the barn is more reactive and far less tolerant.

The next step with him is to develop his consistency in the same short sessions.

He has three good, uphill gaits, however because of his maturity he doesn't always have the strength to sustain for more than a little while. I want to develop his topline and more elasticity and suppleness. This is a lifetime of emphasis, but the more he can develop on the ground the better it will serve when he is under saddle.

A little bit

So we didn't go to Spy Coast this weekend.

I took a hard look at the way he looked and pulled the entry. Otherwise, he was ready.

I guess it boils down to being picky. Sincere is still shedding out and gaining weight back from a hard winter. I'd rather show him at his best the first time out. He deserves that much. He handles really well on the triangle and in different situations he knows a lot more than your average just-turned-two-year-old.

The other thing that had bothered me about the entry was the rule stipulation that, mandatory, two year olds have to wear bridles with bits.

Let me clarify, at USDF shows, it's optional for two year olds. You can show in a halter or bridle (with or without a bit) and you see a lot of long two year olds sporting snaffles, usually stallions and usually at the major high-pressure shows. 

Sincere turned two less than a week ago, and would have been the youngest in the class. I wasn't 100 percent comfortable with a short two year old even wearing a latex covered french snaffle and being run around a triangle by someone who I barely knew.

Instead of showing, I started working towards the next one. I started walking him in new and different places, standing him up, and walking him out. He got his first (and several subsequent) bath since '10 and had his mane pulled. He's learning to be braided, and I'm learning how to do buttons... again.

The more he does, the happier he is. Even though he has a slight worrisome personality (more or less doesn't know what to do), he really does try and more importantly, wants to do his best.

Boy you've got to see what tomorrow brings

It's been a long time since I posted something about Sincere.

To be honest, what can you write about a yearling? He eats, sleeps and has a basic lifestyle. 

Sincere is a bit more advanced in the fact that he loads and has been some places. At this point he hasn't shown anywhere (or at least publicly, the vet clinic doesn't count), hasn't really begun work and hasn't experienced much of the world by himself. 

About two weeks ago, I made the decision to move him to where Sinari is to begin training. This is a huge change for him. It breaks him away from his normal herd, it puts him in a concentrated situation and mentally/physically starts preparing him for his future life.

It's also the first time I've been able to consistently touch him on a daily basis since he was born, it's also the first time I've really watched him move in a long time on a decent surface and had him evaluated.

In short, I have a really nice horse. Where he'll go is beyond me, but I think he'll end up in the dressage arena.

Minus some minor mishaps (he thought picking a lock was great fun), he's been progressing every day. I started started free lunging to develop his gaits, he's had multiple baths, is in the process of getting his mane razored to a respectable length. Over the next few days he'll start wearing a bridle, and go out for walks around the grounds.

The idea is to aim for the Spy Coast Young Horse shows which are taking place down the road from us. The series starts later this month, and I figure it would be a good place to start.

Lay me down

I've been running nonstop since the L program and today was the first day I experienced sleep past 7 am. But the pleasure was interrupted by my alarm and no fresh pot of coffee waiting downstairs. It was further punctuated by cold floors, frosted windows and no remote starter for the car outside.

Winter has revisited us in the Bluegrass, and this time it struck with single digit temps and more ice. The three day window that I had for riding was promptly nixed due to the errands and other items that weren't taken care of while I was away.When the weather closed in on Thursday I knew the ponies and I were officially down with cabin fever.

The weather never really bothers me in regards to plans, but it did manage to cause a bit of stress when it came to today.

Today we were taking Sincere off the property for the first time by himself. Normally, we would have waited until spring to attempt things like this, when the weather is warmer- but this was a long standing, and very overdue appointment.

Today we castrated Sincere. It was a decision that I had made in November.

After discussing this with my vet, I had opted to do this not on the farm, but at a hospital.

I've seen both sides of the spectrum when it comes to gelding. I've seen everything go absolutely well and look like they haven't been touched and then I've seen horses keel over and die from sepsis, post-surgery colic and be crippled from having stifles and joints torqued out.

I wasn't going to run that risk, and even though it was twice as expensive, I'm at least sleeping tonight.

He shipped well and acted incredibly mature for his age, the attending barn manager was helpful throughout the process and he settled in about 10 minutes into the entire check-in ordeal.

We left, had brunch, got the call that he's now incapable of reproducing- and we have the option of picking him up today or tomorrow. We opted tomorrow. I checked in on him around one, and he was happy, bright, alert. Demanding his usual cookie. On enough pain killers that he probably doesn't realize what just went on down there.

The only thing that had bothered him was the straw. For the life of him he couldn't understand why anyone would put that much inedible hay in front of him and that deep. He eventually figured it out to his disappointment that the vet's barn wasn't not an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Now for that paperwork...

Teach me baby

Ah youth.

The snow pack has finally stabilized enough in some areas that walking actually feels safe again.

Sinari is now on two weeks sans turnout (hand walking up and down the aisle everyday) because I nearly busted my butt going up and down the driveway just walking. She's taking it well, but massive bribery has occurred meanwhile

Sincere though seems to be fairing very well in the recent downturn in weather. Even went out and shot a few photos of the long yearling.

It's hard to say where he's going somedays. First glance he can easily fit into the hunter mold with a nice sloping shoulder and compact build. If I took him to the line, he wouldn't be terribly out of place. But then he moves and he can move large, and being 1 and 3/4's he's actually really well balanced. Then he gallops across what, to my footing princess eyes deems challenging, without really thinking twice.

So in the end, he'll decide what he wants to do. Right now, I'm just enjoying him.

Sweeter than bounty itself

2010, like November, is nearly at it's end and there is much to be thankful for.

The ponies and I lead unusual lives. 

I am thankful that everyday they lead me on an amazing adventure. I am thankful that when the day is done, and we look back we are doing so together. Without them, I am nothing, and with them, I am everything. 

 I am ever thankful of what we accomplished and the team that was developed behind us. Without them, I would not be on the path that we are taking. 

I hope the start of the holiday season sees you all in comfortably, and that you may have a warm house, a good meal, and everything that brings you joy.

Thanksgiving is sweeter than bounty itself.

One who cherishes gratitude does not cling to the gift!

Thanksgiving is the true meat of God’s bounty;

The bounty is its shell,

For thanksgiving carries you to the hearth of the Beloved.

Abundance alone brings heedlessness,

Thanksgiving gives birth to alertness.

The bounty of thanksgiving will satisfy and elevate you,

And you will bestow a hundred bounties in return.

Eat your fill of God’s delicacies,

And you will be freed from hunger and begging.

-Rumi

Lower lobotomy

I've been uncharacteristically silent about Sincere lately.

Aside from a few scratches, more shots than he cares for, and matted burrs in his tail, he's a happy camper.

The quiet bit has to deal with some contemplation since the GOV made the recommendation to keep him intact until he is two.

After talking to a number of people, and looking at the market, my current lifestyle and capabilities, it was decided that he should be gelded.

It isn't a reflection of his behavior or his conformation. It's just that he doesn't have the current requirements to make that career path successful. So, it's off they come for a happier lifestyle.

Truth be told, there is an incredible amount of ego when it comes to that decision. There were times where I thought he could be a competitive pony stallion. There were times where I thought he go into the books and reproduce successfully. But then I look at what it takes to have a good stallion (from sheer raw gaits/talent to genetics), how much negotiation and promotion goes on. So from a good stallion, he'll be a great gelding.



Other than that, he's fantastic, if not finally awkward looking.

Stud Muffin

When Sincere was born, I was really disappointed that he came out as a colt.

It wasn't because he was imperfect, quite the contrary, it was because he was a colt. 

I like fillies. I like competing mares. Mares have more to give, and the lines are far more precious than that of their male counterparts. And like my mother, anything male in the household tends to end up getting neutered at one point or another.

It also probably doesn't help that the colts I really hadn't really gotten along with for various past reasons. Many of them being that geldings were zero personality pushovers and the stallions I handled weren't the best of individuals and I wish I could put nuticals in place of testicles.

So when Sincere came out, I pretty much said lower lobotomy please.

I cannot say what entered my mind when I showed photos to the GOV of him. Perhaps it was because he's going to push pony, or just the sheer fact that I have interest seeing this cross go onto a proper book that would promote him as an athlete instead of a halter reject. When I mentioned that he was going to go under the knife, they advised against until the two-year-old keuring was complete.

Huh? Since when was sparky a candidate for keeping the appendages? And what are they potentially seeing that I'm not?

The world on a string

I'm slowly waking up. This week was a blur of last minute appointments, hand shakes and clean up.

It's day five of WEG, and I'm in the thick of it. I'm sitting in the hacienda-styled IALHA booth. I've made a few friends, and caught up with people that I haven't seen in awhile.

The booth sits across and adjacent to the Parelli and Lyons booths has actually been interesting. Both are very nice individuals, and offer fellow vendors coffee almost every morning. No Kool-Aide yet.

The horse community is my extended family of sorts, while we may not share the same DNA, we occasionally share the same dysfunctional and addictions.

Life isn't too bad here.

The bus (amazingly) runs on time and is a great drop off location. There is a huge variety of people and things do to, daily.  And, yes, while prices are very high (minus the Bit of Britain people who are amazingly cheap), I think the general feeling is a happy one among the visitors.

The equine village is huge, and the Alltech experience is by far amazing. The only thing I have to really fault is that they need to develop more variety of their already outstanding line of beer.

The place is literally a candy land for horse people and I'm sorry for those who are missing it, I'm also sorry my time here is short.

Although short, it's busy.

I also got to chat to the heads of the GOV, to catch up with breeding news and to ask them their opinions about the ponies in question. We'll be attending inspection next year barring a few items on the agenda. I've talked to potential sponsors, talked to potential clinicians and venue sites. I've also caught up with the current ones to say thanks and to keep them in the loop of things.

I literally have walked about 15 to 20 miles.

It also means I haven't seen too much of the ponies lately. I know Sincere is alive and well, Sinari is being ridden infrequently at best. Which, doesn't surprise me (considering schedule) and also disappoints. I was hoping to use the week off from work to bring her back more consistently. We are cleared to canter, we are cleared to go back to quasi-normal work, it's just been a pill as far as scheduling a ride.

Otherwise, it's been a great adventure so far and I can't wait to continue it.

I know where you go, is where I want to be

Fall means burrs and the end of summer slick long yearlings.

As we enter into the year and a half mark, Sincere has grown up mentally, but not physically. Which makes me a happier than usual person. I think his mother's genes are finally taking over in the phenotype department. His classmates are a full hand taller.

He's still nice to look at, and hasn't hit the yearling uglies yet. But I think that will change when I put the blanket on him.

The pumpkin colt has accepted a lot more things in his life. Although his grand adventure to the park never occurred (time schedule was flummoxed), he did manage to do other things in life, among them is begin to be prepared to be gelded.

For many reasons, we elected not to do a field surgery. I've seen and experienced one too many bad ones and it's not a bad thing to have a 24 hour stay while being watched under sedation.  For this, he's receiving jabs to update and prepare him for the inevitable separation.

Sincere is also in the stall more frequently and doing more grown up things such as now wearing a saddle pad and having a sursingle flung on him occasionally. He's pretty cool with everything as usual.

Recapping August's goals:
-Going to a show
Prepared, never got to. Which was a dissapointment.

-Loading/unloading
Nope.

-Prepare for lower lobotomy.
-Yep.

September goals:
Get through the last series
Get through WEG
Load in trailer

Go speed racer

With my partner out and about in the universe, I'm in charge of feeding the boy.

Since the hot weather hit the region, the grass, and his main caloric intake, has burned off. Enter in concentrates and some one on one time. He's been regularly on this diet now for about two weeks, and caught up with the weight.

The fun part about feeding time is I get to fuss over him and to try new things.

Among the list is getting him used to the idea of having a saddle pad on/flung him. I thought the first time was a fluke because he didn't react, the second and third time it was pretty dead on he didn't care. I upped the ante with a sursingle (didn't girth it just placed), I got more reaction out of the fly spray. We also got to lead in tandem through several gaits, the dressage arena and around various farm implements with him being on the right and his travel companion on the left.

For a yearling, this isn't too bad at all. The last set I handled were pills of the first order and would no sooner mow you down for a blade of grass than mind you.

Then I decided today was a great day to learn to pony.

I love ponying. I think it's a fantastic way to let young horses see the world while developing muscles and brains.

Except one problem, I don't have a pony that ponies.  Nor do I have the equipment to do it with (I like western saddles for this cause).

What I do have is a golf cart.

We lead without minor incidence (some stop and stare) but otherwise, he was happy to lead on his off side back to the paddock to see his buddies. Got lots of apple treats and scratches. He's come a long way.

Rubber ducky, you're the one

Often times in my travels, the baby is put by the wayside.

It's a terrible, yet sometimes fortunate thing.

As much as I want to see, and play everyday, it's sometimes best to let the young horse grow up on his own. I'm afraid if I play with him too much he'll not only forget that he's a horse, but get burned out on attention.

So for the past two weeks, I haven't seen the kid. I felt guilty and traipsed out there on Sunday and did the girliest thing I could- I bathed him, soap and all.

He was really unamused by this aspect, now smelling like tea tree oil, cherries and other very feminine flavors. But he did well, standing up on the ties, without calling or any huge flair (and this was with his buddies calling to him). In fact, I think he secretly enjoyed the pony parlor day.

Sincere, was dare I say, mature for his age.

So with July gone, our goals:

-Consistency on the cross ties
Met and exceeded. Doesn't mean I can wander out of sight and have him stay put. But for the most part, he stands up.

-Loading and unloading
Haven't practiced this any.Tomorrow we'll get to see how he rolls.

-New and different places.
He goes to different places on the farm, without a fuss as long as there are cookies involved. Sincere has always been  easy going that way. He reminds me of the porgy little mamma's boy who always wants a cookie and is spoiled to death by his aunties. At least with him, food motivation is a good thing. He'll do about anything as long as there are treats involved. Huzzah for the food motivated baby.

August's goals:
-Going to a show
-Loading/unloading
-Prepare for lower lobotomy.

Some assembly required

Admittedly, when I saw Sincere with his bumps, bruises and mono-boob lump, I was not surprised.

Yes, sooner or later the boy needed to burst his bubble wrap, but seriously did he have to do it in a major way?

One part of me was unamused, accustomed to seeing several horses do several more stupid things. The other part, the mothering part (or what's there for a mothering part) was somewhat concerned over the situation.

Lesson learned, nothing about Sincere is small.

For the most part, he's healing up, if not a little sore from his misadventures with whatever he tangled with. His D-cup mono boob has drained to a training bra sized, his bruises have begun to scab over and the bumps, while still tender are going down as well. We collectively decided not to coddle him in this, that being turned out would help the stiffness and keep him from stocking up.

His boo-boo's have also given me the excuse to coddle him extensively.

He regularly stands on cross ties to be groomed, takes baths now without fuss (minus being sprayed in the face), he stands for his dousing of fly spray, and dons the pink SWAT with pride. He is easy going, and enjoys his rewards (food motivation is a plus in my book).

He still needs to wear his fly mask. The flies are atrocious.

Lumps and bumps

Sincere has always categorically been in my book, a jock.

His handsome, athletic looks really underscore how tough he really is.

So while I normally dispatch with the normal boy chores of keeping his whites white, his mane and tail free of burrs, and the occasional boo-boo.

When I got the call today of, you really need to go see the boy. I was not really prepared to see him sporting all sorts of fun new bruises, a lump between his front legs and scratches in various spots.


The same colt who, at his last place, survived less-than-ideal fencing, rolling under a fence into a strange herd, the stupidity of a working student, an impromptu trailer ride and numerous other things, finally broke his bubble wrap. He is scratched, dented and none worse for wear.

It doesn't mean, as one of his primary caretakers, I don't get to dress his wounds with care, fret a little bit and decorate him in pink SWAT.

Sincere will live. 

He's now being accustomed to a new routine, he gets bathed, regularly (this time without protesting, it's too hot). He's groomed on cross ties and is generally learning about his job in life.

So, recapping June, we did meet our goals (if not on the fly). He did load into the trailer, he did go someplace. We didn't get to swim, but we have started to condition for next year.

July's goals:
-Consistency on the cross ties
-Loading and unloading
-New and different places.

I cannot grow old in Salem's lot

I finally got a chance to catch up here.

It was a whirlwind tour of clinics, photographs and other things that have landed across my desk all at once. Not to mention the regular work, taking care of the ponies and making sure that the laundry (an ongoing battle at my place) is getting done.

First, the Stephen Bradley clinic went off wonderfully. I met dedicated riders, exquisite facility and fantastic horses. Not to mention the technician himself- Stephen Bradley, the most down to earth individual you'll ever meet. We will be having him back on a quarterly basis. So, if you event, come join us for a good time.

The photo on the left is from the second day.  But you can check out our facebook page here for more photos and to check out the upcoming events.

Sinari has been gaining more and more consistency over the past few days. Consistency has always been an elusive for us, some weeks are better than others, and having strings of good ones can be rare sometimes. But we've changed a few things. Acupuncture is a huge part of it but we've started on a new course of stuff that is really making the difference. Can't be happier at the moment. I'll post photos to illustrate the difference soon.

Sincere too has worked into his new digs and is continuing on in education. But he's standing butt-high at the moment and I'm just trying to ignore the gangling weed in the yard.

Moving on up to the east side

It has been a long week of planning, packing and moving in the ugliest of hot weather.

I finally had enough of spending a portion of my weekend traveling out to east of nowhere Kentucky to visit Sincere. It ate up a good portion of my gas and not to mention budget when I had to run out there for only an hours worth of time. Feasibly, it was alright for an in-between, but long-term, to make him a successful candidate for the sport, he needed to be closer to home.

So we made arrangements to move, and we did so on Thursday.

I was a little worried about how he would have handled to the travel. The last time he shipped was with his mother, this time he would have to load himself (which we haven't done) and travel about 80 miles back near where Sinari is. The heat too played a huge factor, it was awful out and I wasn't looking forward to moving, let alone having a horse on the road in it.

Good news is that with a small bit of encouragement from behind he got on with very little issue, traveled the length of the 80 with very little fuss and stepped off into his new world. Ate and drank normally and was no worse for wear.

It feels great to have him nearby, I've already been out twice to play.

We kicked off the homecoming with a shower (unamused), a mane combing (unamused) and a walk about away from the herd (really unamused). I'm sure he'll get used to the idea of being in and out of the stalls more, and getting regular baths, especially since the weather is giving me the excuse.

Ready to run

The hot weather has slowed everyone down, mentally and physically and my normally exuberant boy spends most of his time in the run in shed now.

I can't say I don't blame him. I wish I could hang out in the shade too, preferably with a box fan or six on me, a tall cool drink of something on the side and my friend around me.

Reporting on what's been going on with Sincere for May is a bit like reading the Level One readers; basic, with very little effort.

Truth is, as much as I like working on the upper level stuff, I enjoy the young horse end of it as well. He is enthusiastic about his current job, works well on the triangle and clips. Isn't too sure about the farrier and pulling his mane is a pain (even with drugs), but overall not a bad month of progress.

For June, I guess working on conditioning, trailer loading. If I have time, I would like to take him for a dunk in the pool, and get him through one of those fun lead trough trail courses. Keep the next few months especially easy for the heat and his upcoming lower-lobotomy.

Long beautiful hair

 Conformation May 2010

Movement Shot May 2010

May 2010

Movement 2010

May 2010

I figured we were due for a photo update with Sincere. It was his first official photoshoot, complete with main pulling, conformation shots and braiding. Lindsey Oaks-Solorzano (Red Letter Eventing) did a fantastic job of braiding and standing him up while I manned the camera.  Honestly, for a yearling- he doesn't look too shabby.